Dead Horse Point State Park

Visitors to Dead Horse Point State Park are in for a treat. Driving to each of the park’s many overlooks reveals a completely different perspective into Utah’s vast canyon country. Once out of your car, make the short walk out to the canyon’s rim. Feel that little tingle in the back of your head? That tingle grows as the level ground of pavement and parking lot gives way to a sharp drop. It is 2,000 feet down to the Colorado River. Give your brain time to absorb a scene this immense. The view stretches for more than a hundred miles. Many visitors find Dead Horse Point State Park to be even more captivating than the views at the Grand Canyon. The park is an excellent place for photography, so bring your camera. You’ll want to be sure to take lots of pictures to try and share the experience with your friends.

It used to be that the only reason to visit Dead Horse Point State Park was for the magnificent views. In recent years, the park has built a splendid network of rolling singletrack trails over gentle slickrock domes and through the knee-high sage. The trails offer several opportunities to stop and savor the views before tackling the next leg of trails. Though technically mild by Moab standards, the trails are a hit for riders of all abilities. Families looking for a nice cruise together will enjoy the trails. There’s also plenty of fun for more experienced riders.

No matter your reasons for visiting the park, be sure to spend some time relaxing on the shaded deck next to the visitor center. It’s like relaxing in an immense bird’s nest, perched on the edge of a cliff. It is the perfect place to watch the ravens dance on the updrafts of wind and to appreciate the vastness of the area.

Visiting Dead Horse Point State Park

Dead Horse Point State Park is a scenic, 40-minute drive from Moab northward on U.S. 191 to the junction with S.R. 313 that leads you to the park’s entrance. There is a $10 entrance fee for each vehicle entering the park.

The park is a slender peninsula of land extending off the massive plateau that is home to Canyonlands National Park’s Island in the Sky district. The park sits above the beautiful White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park and offers views of Moab, the La Sal Mountains to the south and the Colorado River, 2,000 feet below. According to legend, the area got its name from its use as a natural horse corral around the turn of the century.

A visitor center and art gallery provides a wonderful introduction to the park’s geology and key features visible from the many overlooks. The visitor center parking lot also serves as an excellent starting point to access the 16.6 miles of nonmotorized singletrack biking and hiking trails that spider across the park. Utah State Parks has a PDF map of the trails. Dogs are not allowed on the Intrepid Trail System.

Dead Horse Point State Park offers a campground with several partial-hookup campsites and three yurt sites available for rent year-round. The yurts make for a unique way of experiencing the park. Each yurt sleeps six and includes electricity, heating and cooling and outdoor cooling facilities. Details and reservation information at Utah State Parks (PDF).